The capacity of Republican voters to overlook and justify credible allegations of sexual harassment and assault cannot be overstated. . . .

Moore has garnered deep support in his state as he’s stoked voters' fears of "abortion, sodomy, sexual perversion," and "transgender troops in our bathrooms." The predators are always elsewhere, not at the highest rungs of politics or behind the judge's bench. Republicans have built entire campaigns on a manufactured epidemic of transgender people hiding in bathroom stalls waiting to molest children. But when one of their own is accused of such a crime, they respond along the lines of Bibb County GOP chairman Jerry Pow, who said on Thursday that he would vote for Moore even if he did commit a sex crime against an underage girl. "I'm not saying I support what he did," Pow said. Supporting child abuse is one thing—supporting an alleged child abuser, to some in the GOP, is another.

I never thought I’d see the day when pedophilia became a divisive issue within the GOP. The party cannot lead in this condition.

"After a long pause, Alabama Bibb County Republican chairman Jerry Pow tells me he'd vote for Roy Moore even if Moore did commit a sex crime against a girl. 'I would vote for Judge Moore because I wouldn't want to vote for Doug,' he says."

"Doug," you see, is Doug Jones — Moore's opponent in that senate race, who is not just a Democrat, but also the man who prosecuted the klansmen responsible for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Doug Jones sided with those four little black girls rather than siding with the defense of white hegemony in Alabama.

For Republicans in the Year of Our Trump 2017, that makes him worse than a child molester.

I honestly did not think that any “conservatives” would stoop so low as to defend a pedophile. Wrong. There is no limit to how far they will go to win elections, no line they will not cross, no norms they will not transgress. There is a sickness in the land.

First, his campaign lamely argued he's married with kids and besides he's been around for decades so why haven't we heard about this before? Then came Breitbart: They challenge the term "teenagers," portray a man who simply "attempted to court" or "dated" them, cite one girl who viewed Moore as "romantic," and skirt the 14-year-old's assault by trashing the Post and fellow-travelers who support "radical causes." Twitter summation of their argument: "Roy Moore (was) very romantic and recited poetry to the children he was trying to fuck."

Then, a flood of support, fiery if often incoherent, from other Alabama Republicans. "It's just a bunch of bull," said Trump's state chairman; he noted when his candidate ran "there was about 15 ladies who ran to the press and said the same thing.” Others found the charges "fabricated as the day is long” and "opportunistic" - "they are just looking for their chance to get on some liberal talk show" - while deeming McConnell "scum," "a dumbass, a coward, a liar himself and exactly what’s wrong with Washington, D.C." None mention that the assault victim is a registered Republican who said she prayed long and hard before coming forward.

The reward for most outlandish defense may be a tie. Up first, Alabama State Auditor Jim Ziegler, who - when in doubt - called on Scripture. He insisted "there is nothing to see here" and "he's clean as a hound's tooth" - What does that mean? Isn't a hound's tooth slobbery? - before urging, "Take the Bible." (Please.) He invoked first the old/young parents of John the Baptist, then got to the good stuff. "Also take Joseph and Mary," he said. "Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus." His conclusion: "There’s just nothing immoral or illegal here. Maybe just a little bit unusual."

Also unusual: Roy Moore not pleading for forgiveness or challenging the facts, but asking for money. Now, he announced in a fundraising letter, is the time to send his righteous godly ass to heathen D.C to challenge "the Obama-Clinton machine’s liberal media lapdogs." "The forces of evil are on the march in this country," he writes. "We are in the midst of a spiritual battle with those who want to silence our message. That's why I must be able to count on the help of God-fearing conservatives like you to stand with me at this critical moment.” He's right about one thing: With women nationwide demanding accountability for sexual crimes by powerful men, it is in fact a critical moment. The stories of Cosby, Weinstein, Moore et al do not describe "some tragic, pitiable downfall," writes Lindy West, but simply "someone who got away with it." And call it a witch hunt if you wish. "The witches are coming, but not for your life," she says. "We're coming for your legacy."

"Like most Americans, the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life," Huckabee Sanders said [as Trump's media spokesperson] as Trump traveled to Da Nang, Vietnam.

"It was 40 years ago," Alabama Marion County GOP chair David Hall tells me. "I really don't see the relevance of it. He was 32. She was supposedly 14. She's not saying that anything happened other than they kissed."

"I want to see virtue and morality returned to our country and God is the only source of our law, liberty and government," Moore said during a primary debate with Luther Strange, the current holder of Sessions' seat.

It was Moore's infamously rigid views of homosexuality—and his attendant ethics violations—that resulted in his second removal from the Alabama Supreme Court. In January 2016, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, Moore issued an administrative order declaring that the state's probate judges had "a ministerial duty" not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Republican Alabama State Representative Ed Henry said on Friday that he wanted someone to bring charges against the women who accused GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of making sexual advances on them when they were teenagers.

Last year a Massachusetts court sentenced a former teacher to 18 months in jail for molesting a boarding school boy in 1973. Would Alabama give him six years in the Senate instead?

The one defense Moore's allies have'’t rolled out is the one that's true: Republicans want a Republican in that Senate seat in order to protect the party's agenda, with tax breaks for the wealthy at the top of the list. If that means electing an alleged child molester, so be it. If Moore has an "R" after his name, nothing else matters.

What does a political candidate do when a national newspaper publishes a story alleging that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year old girl? In the case of Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, the answer is: quickly send out a fundraising email touting endorsements from prominent Senate GOPers—even if one of those senators is now saying Moore may have to exit the race.

"We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers." Bayard Rustin, Quaker gay activist

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About Me

I'm a theologian who writes about the interplay of belief and culture. My husband Steve (also a theologian) and I are now in our 47th year together. Though the church has discarded us (and here, here, here, and here) because we insist on being truthful about our shared life, we continue to celebrate the amazing grace we find in our journey together and love for each other.
We live in hope; we remain on pilgrimage....
A note about my educational background: I have a Ph.D. and M.A. in theology from Univ. of St. Michael's College, Toronto School of Theology; an M.A. in English from Tulane Univ.; and a B.A. in English from Loyola, New Orleans.